Agreed Upon History?

Mark Lathrop was Co-Owner of Moonlight Bike Shop & Founder of Swamis Cycling Club (est. 1989)

1989 founding members are: Mark Lathrop, Dano Rock, Charlie Meredith, all working at Moonlight Bikes. Dan Jenkins, Adrew Lee (owner of Adams Avenue Bikes ), Pete Tholl, Steve "Zoomer" Zumaras, "Marine Dan", Steve Quartz, Eric Baker (who designed our first jersey) & Steve Hughes . Any others??

Oldest continuing Sponsor
-Furgerson's Garage - supporting Swamis since 1992

Oldest returning Sponsor
Steve Hughes with Crown Circuits ('90) and now Hughes Circuits ('08)

First time "Gurus of Cycling" coined
First Version:
-Swamis first UCSF event was a track event at the SD velodrome in 1989. At that race, Ralph Elliot was providing the Start/Finish. Hearing from Mark that the name of his team was Swamis, Ralph starting commenting about Swamis over the PA. He announced to the crowd that Swamis was the “Gurus of Cycling” and that “they did their winter training at the Taj Mahal.”1989 was the first year of the CA lottery, so primes were lotto tickets, and were announced as “4 Million Dollar Primes”

Second Version:
-Mark Thomas, Dougie Pomeranz, and Hylton Murphy sitting somewhere in Solana Beach. Mark looks around with that big smile on his face and said “You know what we are? We are the gurus of cycling” (1993?)

Charlie Meredith started the now famous Swami Ride. The ride was originally called The Horny Toad Ride. The Horny Toads were a clan of runners, triathletes, cyclist that were strong athletes in the 70s & 80s.

In ???? Swami Henry Chang steals one of UCSD's Fred Jerseys and Swamis starts its own tradition of the famous Fred Jersey and abuses Swamis members ever since.

Swamis First Fred Award

-Many European riders rode with Swamis through the years. Axel Merckx rode a lot with us and was a good friend of John Edwards. After winning at Belgain Championship, Axel gave John his winning jersey. John proud of the gift, road the Saturday Swami ride with the jersey on and on the way back on Del Dios, hit a broom stick went down and ripped Axel’s Jersey.

John’s ripping Axel’s jersey also won him the Fred of the Year award in the next hear. With this John was the first Fred winner and the only Fred to win the award two years in a row.

Jim Durbin has been designing the Swami Jersey since the 1994 McDonald's Jersey

First sighting of Swami Temple on Jersey
-'95 AMC Jersey

First sighting of "Gurus" on a Jersey
- '96 Jane Jersey
- Still need picture documentation

In 1996 Jane Cosmetics (Howard Katkov) becomes the title sponsor and brings Swamis to a new level of competitive cycling with the Women's Team into the next century.

In 1999 Jenny Eyerman, becomes the Collegiate National Criterium Champion.

In 2001 several Swamis branch off to start Island Boy Racing
- They are sad to find out they are still Friends of Swamis (FOS)

In 2001 Jenny Eyerman, racing for Jane Cosmetics/Swamis wins Irvine Pro Cycling Event.

Swamis participates in the first 24 hour RAAM in 2005 and racks up more penalties that any other team in history

Raceplan working with Swamis starts the Del Mar Crit Series in 2006

Marc Yap & Chris Daggs starts the Swamis Developmental Elite Team in 2008

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Stories of Henry "Changer" Chang

Thanks to Bret Clare for this...

Changer was a good training partner but brutal if you got on his wrong side. I had fun writing this up on Google's RBR years ago. Henry would be the first to say it is Fredly to write up training rides...
Peter Knudsen is referenced below. He was at UCSD at the time and had been riding for a few months. He later rode for Swamis then professionally for Schroeder Iron and maybe NetZero. He is in/or just completed med school.
///////////////
Henry-

June of 2001 may have been your last race but, please check me on this, I believe the beginning of your demise was Sunday, December 17, 2000. Your memory is better than mine.

A group of eight to ten (Cady, Chang, Daggs, DeGrouchy, Jurgen Belgian(?), Knudsen, Clare, Glenn, (Fitzgerald out with dented mouth?), others) left Leucadia at 9am and rode east on Del Dios Highway in San Diego. Sixty minutes into the ride a rock in the road took out two riders. Injured parties turn around, bloodied but ok. We proceed. Up the Lake Wohlford climb and out, up, and down Valley Center Road into the, uh, valley. Coal Grade climb is next, everyone still pretty strong, regroup at top. Back through San Luis Rey and we have to go up the back side of Sleeping Indian. Short but steep, about 70 or 80 miles into a fairly hilly ride. Two riders punch the climb, descend the dirt/gravel road, and wait for the group. No show for about fifteen minutes. Turns out HC detonated spectacularly and gets a push over the rise.

Regroup, easy and gentle on River Road, about 30 miles home. Hit the bike trail with a cross/head wind and remaining riders sense a weak link. HChang is bonking. The pace was not so fast that anyone was dropped but fast enough to make you real uncomfortable if it wasn't your day. About fifteen to twenty minutes of 25mph.

Regroup again in Oceanside. Wind our way to Carlsbad, sun out, joggers, man painted like Tin Man, Xmas shoppers. About fifteen miles to home of flat road with a cross/tailwind. Ramp it. Someone said "Henry is hurting, maybe we should slow down". "No, he'd leave you in a second. Like he attacks you in construction zones on Saturdays and Wednesdays".

Henry was buried in a shallow grave at the intersection of Tamarack and Coast Highway.

Fifteen minutes later I puncture. Group continues, we're almost home. Beautiful day in Southern California in December, great ride but feeling pretty burnt myself. Fix the tire, Henry rolls up at about 11 mph. His mouth is moving but no sound is coming out. No water, no food. He eeks out something about taking the most direct way home.

6.25 hours, 118 miles roundtrip. A top five on the all time training ride-o-meter. I remember taking note that Knudsen was pretty strong for a new rider. I'm a prophet.

Start training now Henry, we'd like your company again. Serious. A few of us recounted this story yesterday on a ride independently of the posts above.
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